Mr. Wendell Willkie took the lead in the first Presidential election returns today.
In voting which opened promptly at midnight and closed promptly at 1205 am, five minutes later, Mr. Willkie, Republican nominee, polled, 24 votes to the President's 7 in this town's lone and tiny precinct, which traditionally the first to complete its returns—United Press. veys, is given a better chance than Mr. Willkie in New York and Pennsylvania, but Mr. Willkie is slightly in the lead in Illinois and Ohio with Michigan being even.
Results of "Polls"
Here are some of the final predict tions made by leading political figures and election experts last night:
Mr. Edward J. Flynn, chairman of the National Democratic Committee: President Roosevelt will carry 40 states and win 453 electoral votes.
Mr. Joseph Martin, chairman of the Republican National Committee: Mr. Willkie will win 324 electoral votes.
Gallup Poll: The election outcome is doubtful, although President Roosevelt leads in 30 states with 276 electoral votes and has 52 per cent. of the popular vote.
Fortune Magazine survey: President Roosevelt has 55.2 per cent. of the popular vote.
Dunn Survey: Mr, Willkie will win. Only eleven states were conceded to the President.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.